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N. K. Jemisin

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The World We Make: A Novel (The Great Cities, 2) Hardcover – November 1, 2022

by N. K. Jemisin (Author)

4.5 1,787 ratings

Book 2 of 2: The Great Cities

Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy

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Four-time Hugo Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author N.K. Jemisin crafts a glorious tale of identity, resistance, magic and myth.

All is not well in the city that never sleeps. Even though the avatars of New York City have temporarily managed to stop the Woman in White from invading—and destroying the entire universe in the process—the mysterious capital "E" Enemy has more subtle powers at her disposal. A new candidate for mayor wielding the populist rhetoric of gentrification, xenophobia, and "law and order" may have what it takes to change the very nature of New York itself and take it down from the inside.

In order to defeat him, and the Enemy who holds his purse strings, the avatars will have to join together with the other Great Cities of the world in order to bring her down for good and protect their world from complete destruction.

N.K. Jemisin’s Great Cities Duology, which began with The City We Became and concludes with The World We Make, is a masterpiece of speculative fiction from one of the most important writers of her generation.

The Great Cities Duology

The City We Became
The World We Make

Book 2 of 2

The Great Cities
Print length

368 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Orbit
Publication date

November 1, 2022
Dimensions

6.4 x 1.55 x 9.6 inches
ISBN-10

0316509892
ISBN-13

978-0316509893
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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Jemisin is one of the most highly decorated writers in fantasy and science fiction today."
―New York Times/Ezra Klein Show

"Jemisin molds real world events from the past few years with magic and myth into this fantastical page-turner. If The City We Became is a love letter to New York City, then The World We Make is a love song."
―USA Today

"The kind of book you lose an entire day to...and emerge shaken and dazzled on the other end. The writing is clear and visceral and intense. It’s some of the most brilliant, unapologetic speculative fantasy I’ve read in years."―Washington Post

"Hopeful and enthralling, The World We Make is more evidence of [Jemisin's] ferocious talent."―Esquire

"Jemisin brings her living-city saga to a satisfying conclusion, maintaining a sense of energy and excitement throughout."―Booklist

"It's cathartic to imagine fighting these slippery, inimical forces with magic, to believe for a moment that some complex problems have direct solutions—that passion, faith, and the will to fight can make miracles happen. Perhaps the possibility of confronting those problems head-on might serve as inspiration for all of us facing variants of this issue in the real world and help us model ourselves after Jemisin’s characterization of New Yorkers: tough, nasty, but ultimately kind people who defend their own while embracing newcomers into their midst. A ray of hope in a dark time."―Kirkus

"The conclusion to Jemisin’s Great Cities duology is a searing commentary on present-day politics as manipulated by a primordial evil...This riveting and powerful urban fantasy duology is masterfully written."―BuzzFeed News

"Jemisin explores resistance and identity through magic and myth, expertly crafting a world in which contemporary concerns are met with catharsis."

―TIME

"Jemisin embodies the spirit of the city in as lush and lively a voice as ever and does a masterful job incorporating even more history and magic."―Publishers Weekly

"Highly recommended for readers who loved the deep dive into myth and roots of American Gods by Neil Gaiman, those fascinated with conspiracy theories about politics and corruption, and anyone who loves a good adventure where plucky underdogs rise up and triumph in spite of themselves."

―Library Journal

"A love letter to a complicated city and the resilient spirit of its residents."―Locus

"Jemisin does not shy away from issues of race, and provides an allegory of the current struggles facing an increasing inequal New York City as a microcosm of a world under threat by fascist monsters... She crafts a genre of her own by representing those who have been systematically silenced. The World We Make is an optimistic book full of action and hope as a parable about inequality and social difference at the end of the world."―Public Books

Praise for The City We Became:

"It's a glorious fantasy, set in that most imaginary of cities, New York. It's inclusive in all the best ways, and manages to contain both Borges and Lovecraft in its fabric, but the unique voice and viewpoint are Jemisin's alone." ―Neil Gaiman

"The City We Became takes a broad-shouldered stand on the side of sanctuary, family and love. It's a joyful shout, a reclamation and a call to arms." ―The New York Times

"The City We Became is a masterpiece of eldritch urban fantasy." ―BuzzFeed News

"Jemisin's fantastical stories are anchored in complex societal systems and fully-imagined new worlds―all with fault lines lying in wait―that aim to help us better understand our own." ―TIME

"Jemisin is now a pillar of speculative fiction, breathtakingly imaginative and narratively bold." ―Entertainment Weekly

"A love letter, a celebration and an expression of hope and belief that a city and its people can and will stand up to darkness, will stand up to fear, and will, when called to, stand up for each other." ―NPR

"Thrillingly expansive without ever becoming abstract or high-flown." ―The Los Angeles Times

"Three consecutive Hugo Awards and a cover blurb from Neil Gaiman―yes, it's time for you to pick up a novel by Jemisin, whose speculative fiction has a degree of inclusivity rare in the science-fiction world." ―The Washington Post

"As always, Jemisin's writing is visionary and immersive...[Jemisin is] a science-fiction/fantasy GOAT." ―GQ

"The City We Became is a raucous delight, a joyride, a call-to-arms, a revolution with plenty of dancing. Eat your heart out, Lovecraft." ―Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January

"The most important speculative writer of her generation...She's that good." ―John Scalzi

"Some of the most exciting and powerful fantasy writing of today...Jemisin's latest will attract...even those who don't typically read genre fiction." ―Booklist (starred review)

"As raw and vibrant as the city itself." ―Library Journal

"A love/hate song to and rallying cry for the author's home of New York...Fierce, poetic, uncompromising." ―Kirkus (starred review)

"A fierce, opinionated vision of a storied metropolis facing down existential threats." ―Shelf Awareness

"This contemporary fantasy of living cities in a multiversal struggle demonstrates [Jemisin's] accomplished storytelling and characterization. Highly recommended for anyone interested in some of the most exciting and powerful fantasy writing of today...Jemisin's latest will attract both media attentions and curious readers, even those who don't typically read genre fiction." ―Literary Hub

About the Author

N. K. Jemisin is the first author in history to win three consecutive Best Novel Hugo Awards, all for her Broken Earth trilogy. Her work has also won the Nebula, Locus, and Goodreads Choice Awards. She has been a reviewer for the New York Times Book Review, and an instructor for the Clarion and Clarion West writing workshops. In her spare time, she is a gamer and gardener, and she is also single-handedly responsible for saving the world from King Ozzymandias, her dangerously intelligent ginger cat, and his phenomenally destructive sidekick Magpie.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orbit (November 1, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316509892
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316509893
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.28 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.55 x 9.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #120,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,269 in Fantasy Action & Adventure
- #6,074 in Epic Fantasy (Books)
- #6,255 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 1,787 ratings

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N. K. Jemisin

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N. K. Jemisin is a Brooklyn author who won the Hugo Award for Best Novel for The Fifth Season, which was also a New York Times Notable Book of 2015. She previously won the Locus Award for her first novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and her short fiction and novels have been nominated multiple times for Hugo, World Fantasy, and Nebula awards, and shortlisted for the Crawford and the James Tiptree, Jr. awards. She is a science fiction and fantasy reviewer for the New York Times, and you can find her online at nkjemisin.com.

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God Bless You, Ms. Jemisin

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2022

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Okay, yeah, I was a wee bit disappointed to find out that N.K. Jemisin was making "The Great Cities" into a duology instead of the planned trilogy...but then I read The World We Make, and I changed my mind. Because she didn't slice and dice the story--she *condensed* it. So instead of a lovely, spongy layer cake, instead we got a super-dense mini-brownie that's chock-full of great stuff!
The war with the Enemy (aka The Woman in White, R'lyeh, or [thank you, Jersey City] Squiggleb***h) is far from over. In fact, she and her extremely nasty masters have been playing a long game, and it turns out the cities aren't the only targets. But since Neek (NYC) and his fellow city avatars have been such a pain in R'lyeh's squiggly butt, she starts in on them first, both as individuals and collectively: Queens suddenly has problems with ICE, Brooklyn's space is attacked by a neo-brownshirt group wielding paintball guns with frozen paintballs (her daughter is injured in the fray), and Manhattan's past is catching up with him. And the entire city is in danger from a mayoral candidate whose slogan is Make New York Great Again.
Meanwhile, Staten Island's avatar isn't real happy with what her gaslighting "friend" is doing to her island...but can she ever find the courage to ask the others for help? And will they give it if she asks?
As I said, there's a lot packed into this book (which is also shorter than The City We Became). I did not see Manhattan's history coming, and even the short time we spend in Padmini's empty city makes me wish *I* could macro-step! And although there is a showdown, it's not all throwdown; in fact, I am reminded a little of the ending of the Broken Earth trilogy, though it isn't the same.
As usual, Jemisin has a few points to make, not only about diversity but also about not judging books by their covers. The end actually leaves room for another sequel (whenever Ms. Jemisin gets her energy back) or at least a novella like she did with the Inheritance series. (I still want to see how it goes with Los Angeles, 15 years later.)
When you read this book, be sure to also read Jemisin's afterword, in which she explains why she wrote the novel the way she did.
God bless you, Ms. Jemisin. I hope y'all get better up there in New York City. And thanks for finishing the story!

6 people found this helpful

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LA in Dallas

When it's up to New York to save the Universe...

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2022

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The World We Make is a sort of grand mish-mash of stuff. Mostly very cool and some wonderful stuff, but still a mish-mash. As N.K. Jemisin explains in her acknowledgements, "The real world moves faster than fiction." She had plans, well-thought-out plans I would guess, for a trilogy. Reality broke them, so we ended up with this duology.

The novels of the Great Cities Series are very political. Although he is never named, it will be obvious (at least to American readers), that this was a novel written in the shadow of Donald Trump. Does Jemisin love him or hate him? You can probably guess. I am actually a little surprised that there are not already dozens of 1-star reviews out there from the Usual Suspects. They will come in time, I'm sure.

The City We Became ended on a cliffhanger. Well, not exactly a cliffhanger, because the shadow of looming disaster was not so immediate as that. However, it was clear that, while she got New York City out of its immediate peril at the end of that novel, Jemisin left behind broader threats, not just to New York, but to reality as we know it. To wit, the avatars of New York, in becoming avatars, learned that for thousands of years some entity had been fighting the emergence of cities' souls on Earth. That fight took the form of a multinational corporation. Total Multiversal War, LLC, and a Lovecraftian Horror, the City named R'lyeh. What's more, one of the five boroughs of New York, Staten Island betrayed the city and gave R'lyeh a foothold. (The big plot twist of City We Became was when Jersey City stepped in to save the day as a sixth extralegal borough.)

R'lyeh is still there, hovering over Staten Island and sucking all the juice out of it, and threatening destruction to the rest of New York. Total Multiversal War, LLC is still out there, prosecuting total multiversal war. That's what we face when World We Make begins. The action really kicks off when a new candidate for mayor of New York shows up. He's called Panfilo, and his slogan is "Make New York Great Again". Sound familiar? He threatens not just New York politics, but also the existence of New York as a city with a soul. Our heroes Neek, Manny, Padmini, Bronca, Brooklyn, Vereza, and even Aislyn step up to the fight. ("Neek? Who is that?" I hear you asking. Well, remember how there was a street artist who became the "primary", the avatar of the whole of New York, at the end of City We Became? He has a name now, Neek, his pronunciation of NYC.)

They each fight in their own ways, but Padmini, the avatar of Queens, who is also the Math Queen, has a particularly central role to play, because she is the only one who understands quantum mechanics, and the battle takes place, as we already knew from the first book, in a quantum multiverse. (Jemisin's understanding of quantum mechanics, I am sad to say, is deeply wrong and distorted, but this is not a physics class, so just gird your loins and pretend to believe.) Also the politician, Brooklyn (three guesses as to which borough she's the avatar of), steps up to the political fight. We also get to meet some other cities. Sao Paulo and Hong Kong, whom we met in City We Became, are back, and we also meet London and Paris and a bunch more. That's all good fun.

There is a huge climactic battle, which is the best part of the book, even though it doesn't really make much sense.

So, it was fun. I enjoyed it. I am sorry that Donald Trump and Covid-19 disrupted Jemisin's plans for the trilogy -- I feel that we might have gotten truly great literature from her, instead of this Fast-and-Furious-esque romp. But I am definitely glad to have read it.

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Angelfire

Wonderful finale to The City We Became!

Reviewed in Canada on February 5, 2023

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Absolutely riveting finale to the first book and with many stunning revelations. Highly recommend it. The author claims she had planned three books, but honestly I don't see how that would have played out. She kept the characters, and the New York situation, interesting in a very tightly written book, which even as a supposed compressed novel is almost triple spaced. Highly recommended if you enjoyed the first book, but really cannot be read without that background.

One person found this helpful

Jost Simon

Wieder ein ungewöhnliches Buch !

Reviewed in Germany on October 16, 2023

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Auch der zweite Band der angekündigten "Trilogie" liest sich gut, setzt aber voraus, dass der erste Band gelesen wurde. Weiter setzt das Buch voraus, dass man sich in New York etwa auskennt. Unklar ist nur, dass die Handlung nach dem zweiten Band abgeschlossen zu sein scheint, obwohl eine Trilogie angekündigt war.

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Ventas Servitas

Trite, rushed, poorly plotted politics...

Reviewed in France on April 20, 2023

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Overall, very disappointing.
Good points: continuation of an interesting concept though poorly handled, ends the series, tiny scene with Atlantis, quick read.
Negative points: character development feels rushed and shallow for many, especially Aislyn; the magic is comical and absurd at times in a bad comic-book kind of way; so much swearing; poorly plotted (plot armor, facile shifts, little to hook the reader); demonises anyone who is not a progressist Liberal New Yorker; the villain is defeated so easily at the end; the cities all come across as juvenile; whiteness is treated as a bad thing leaning into some of the worst stereotypes with little nuance; reads as an allegory for minority groups against the Trump regime, even copying the slogan; the quality of the writing suffers at times, partly due to meta-textual commentary; the magic system leans into a hypereality, and archetypal collective unconsciousness mixed with quantum physiques which is a great idea but it feels confused and muddled at times; shipping of Manhattan and Neek throughout.

I wouldn't recommend this book or the prequel but I've heard that Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy was worth the read and of a different caliber, maybe read those instead.

Amazon Customer

Satisfying conclusion

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 25, 2022

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I was actually not too sold on the first volume of this two-volume story, thinking it was well written but that the characters were rather too stereotyped, and all too clearly divided into Goodies and Baddies. (To be fair, this is in some ways a necessary consequence of what the characters actually *are* in the scheme of things in the story.) In fact I had more or less decided not to bother with any sequels.

I'm glad I changed my mind, though. The sequel actually improves over the first volume in these respects quite a bit, and the plot wraps up very satisfyingly.

I'm not sure that it was necessarily a bad thing that circumstances forced a rethink from a projected three-volume series to two; I can think of quite a few trilogies by other authors, particularly in SF or fantasy, that would have benefited from a bit of pruning. This instalment didn't seem at all rushed or perfunctory, and if I hadn't known that the original plan was for three, I don't think I'd have guessed.

2 people found this helpful

mrls

B o r I n g

Reviewed in France on June 18, 2023

Verified Purchase

I bought the 2 books... first one was boring.. second is worse because I had hopes during the reading of first one..

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